Record cold snap in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay leaves at least 15 people dead, causes power outages
In Argentina, at least nine homeless people have died from the cold this winter, according to NGO Proyecto 7. The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at -1.9°C on Wednesday, July 2, while the coastal city of Miramar saw snow for the first time in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded -18°C on Tuesday.
Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas. The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations on Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders on Thursday.
Desert snow
Uruguay declared a nationwide "red alert" after six people died, allowing President Yamandu Orsi's government to forcibly move homeless people to shelters. Montevideo recorded its lowest maximum temperature since 1967 at 5.8°C on June 30, according to meteorologist Mario Bidegain.
Chile also activated homeless shelter plans during the coldest days. The city of Chillan, 400 kilometers south of Santiago, hit -9.3°C, according to the Chilean Meteorological Directorate.
"What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave caused by an escape of a polar air mass from Antarctica," climatologist Raul Cordero from the University of Santiago told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Snow even fell in parts of the Atacama Desert, the world's driest, for the first time in a decade. "It is not so common for these cold air masses to extend so far north, so we cannot rule out that this is also caused by climate change," meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga told AFP.
The region expects relief in the coming days, with Buenos Aires reaching 12°C on Thursday, Montevideo 14°C and Santiago 24.7°C.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages
More than 450 firefighters backed by helicopters and planes were deployed across a hilly 30-kilometre (19-mile) front in the northeastern province of Tarragona, the Catalonia region's fire service said. The blaze had devoured an estimated 3,137 hectares (7,751 acres), with the protected Els Ports natural park representing about one-third of the total, according to Catalan rangers. An AFP journalist at the scene saw a helicopter swoop over burning vegetation and a house to drop water as grey smoke billowed from the green hills. The blaze had gutted an isolated hillside home, which stood surrounded by scorched trees, its roof collapsed. Firefighters said they were "cautiously optimistic" as they worked to stabilise the blaze and prevent it spreading further into the park. "The changing wind patterns in the area will determine the fire's progression," the service added in a statement. The emergency response could "begin a stabilisation phase in the final hours of the day", said the leader of Catalonia's regional authority, Salvador Illa. Catalonia's civil protection authority urged residents to shut their doors and windows and stay home, saying around 18,000 people were affected. Overnight gusts of up to 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour had thwarted efforts to extinguish the fire, prompting reinforcements from the Spanish army's emergencies unit. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that fuels forest fires. Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires. National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain's hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent. Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.
Local France
15 hours ago
- Local France
Forest fire blazes in southern France as high alert issued for wildfires
The fire, the latest of several in the area in recent days, started on the property of a winery south of the city of Narbonne on Monday afternoon, then spread rapidly due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave. More than 1,000 firefighters battled the flames overnight, but by the morning the inferno had partially damaged 2,000 hectares of land and was still going strong, local authorities said. Local official Christian Pouget said six homes had been partially affected. "The fire has still not been brought under control," he said. In the village of Prat-de-Cest on Tuesday morning, trees were blackened or still on fire. Advertisement As she watched fire trucks drive to and fro, retiree Martine Bou, who did not give her age, recounted fleeing her home with her cats, tortoises and dog on Monday afternoon before returning. But her husband Frederic stayed all night to hose down the great pines on the other side of the road so the fire would not engulf their home. "I've never seen anything like it. I have never lived next to such an enormous fire," he told AFP, reporting flames dozens of metres high. Inhabitants of several villages close to the blaze were evacuated, while 'stay at home' notices have been issued to the inhabitants of the Roches-Grises, Montplaisir and Réveillon, the Jonquières estate in Narbonne, Prat-de-Cest in Bages and the commune of Peyriac-de-Mer. Inhabitants of the wider area are advised to keep windows closed because of the smoke. An emergency welcome centre has been opened in Narbonne for those unable to go home because of the blaze - follow Ville de Narbonne on social media for the latest information. French weather service Météo France said the risk of fires remained high on Tuesday - the whole of France's southern coast is on alert for wildfires, with three départements on red (the highest level). Authorities closed the A9 - the main road link between France and Spain - on Tuesday morning, but the road was later progressively reopened to traffic. Météo France said this weekend that a punishing heatwave that began on June 19th had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days -- the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave. Temperatures in most of the country have been cooler in recent days, but the hot weather is predicted to return at the end of the week and over the July 14th holiday weekend. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires. READ ALSO : MAP: How to check for wildfire alerts in France✎
Local France
3 days ago
- Local France
Fire in France's Hérault "under control" but on red alert for further outbreaks
"The fire has been under control since last night around 1:00 a.m," Lieutenant Colonel Jérôme Bonnafoux of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service told AFP by telephone. "200 firefighters are on site to deal with critical areas and edges," he added, specifying that "firefighters will remain on watch all day." Despite the lifting of the orange heatwave alert, part of Hérault and the entire Bouches-du-Rhône department were placed on red alert for forest fires on Sunday. The Var and Aude departments would also be on red alert from Monday, with access to forest areas prohibited. Large fires broke out Saturday in the departments of Hérault, Bouches-du-Rhône, and Aude, where an orange heatwave alert ( vigilance orange ), which has been in effect since June 27, was lifted Sunday morning by French weather service Météo-France. In Hérault, the fire that started early Saturday afternoon in the Gardiole massif, located between Montpellier and Sète, closed the A9 motorway for five hours, causing major traffic jams in the middle of a busy holiday weekend. Traffic jams reached up to 10 kilometres in each direction on the motorway, with water being distributed to the numerous motorists stranded under the blazing sun. READ ALSO: PODCAST: From strikes to extreme heat - what to expect in France this summer Further east, in Bouches-du-Rhône, a fire on the tourist-heavy Côte Bleue, about fifteen kilometres northwest of Marseille, was "contained" Saturday morning after spreading across about a hundred hectares of forest. Advertisement In Mireval, near the southern city of Montpellier, a blaze fanned by swirling winds led firefighters to evacuate about 10 people. "It was very frightening, especially between 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) and 6:30 pm. The air was unbearable to breathe, there was a lot of smoke in the village, you couldn't see anything anymore and large ashes were falling from the sky," said 46-year-old resident Lorette Gargaud. In the Aude department, a week after the first major fire there, a new blaze, sparked by a car fire on the A61 motorway, had swept through 400 hectares of vegetation by the end of the day. Three hundred firefighters and significant aerial resources were deployed to help extinguish the fire. READ ALSO: How hot will it get in France this summer Meteo-France said on Saturday the punishing heatwave that began on June 19 had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days – the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave.
